Shades
by WilderCapall
Summary: Silver's not sure how to feel about the fact that the Himuro kid stayed in Ri-kyuu. But there's something about him that won't let her forget he's there. Manga-verse. Vague HikaruxSilver. Romance later.
1. Chapter 1

Well, I started reading Dragon Drive again while my GX, Jyu-Oh-Sei, and ATLA fanfic-brain was AWOL, and I realized that I kinda like the idea of Hikaru and Silver together. Not sure why. I mean, they're both BADASS, but that's not exactly it…-shrug- I dunno. Anyway, this is set after the first half of the manga and before the second.

**Warning:** I have no idea where this is going, so bear with me XD

**Summary:** Silver's not sure how to feel about the fact that the Himuro kid stayed in Ri-kyuu. But there's something about him that won't let her forget he's there. Manga-verse. Vague HikaruxSilver.

**Shades of Gray**

It's pure chance that she's in town the day Himuro staggers in, bloody and pale with one arm hanging uselessly at his side – and a long, crimson-stained blade that scrapes the ground in the other. He looks half-dead. No one knows what happened to him, and he's either unable or refusing to speak.

Nobody wants to go near him. He's still a stranger, and people who trust him are hard to come by. Silver is the one who drags him to a healer when he finally collapses. The kid saved her life last year; she's not about to watch him die.

He's out for four days before those hawk's eyes flicker open.

"What happened?" His voice is rough; Silver doubts he's spoken since the last time he was in town.

"I was about to ask you," she replies. "You look like death warmed over."

Himuro tries to send a scowl her way, so she figures he'll pull through.

"Oh. You. Where am I?"

Silver's just a little peeved at the ungrateful bastard, but he probably still counts as critical, so she doesn't think she's allowed to yell at him.

"Yes, _me_. I saved your ass, Himuro. You passed out in the street four days ago and you look like you've been through a shredder."

He tries to sit up, and his eyes go wide. Silver says nothing. He needs to know how close he came to the end…and he's in trouble for scaring her. Himuro barely suppresses a scream, and he falls back to the bed, gasping for breath and shaking.

"You managed to break your shoulder and damn near every one of your ribs too. How did you pull that one?" Silver asks conversationally. Himuro would be glaring if his eyes weren't squeezed shut in pain. The bandage around his chest is getting redder, so Silver figures she should get the healer. After all, if the kid manages to die on her, she can't drive him crazy anymore.

The girl reprimands Silver sharply for stressing her patient, but Silver's not sure she cares. Himuro's tough, he can take it.

She does feel a little guilty when she gets another look at the multitude of gashes and bites that cross the dragon master's body; he's a wreck, there's no doubt about that. What percentage of his skin isn't bloody is either bruised or deathly pale. He clenches his jaw against the pain as the healer exposes his wounds to the open air, but he almost manages to hold it together; until she dabs some kind of disinfectant onto one of the nastier cuts and a short cry escapes. He very nearly loses it when she checks and then rewraps his broken shoulder.

Finally, the young woman leaves, and Himuro slumps on the bed, completely drained. He can barely breathe with his broken ribs, and the bandages don't exactly help in that department.

Silver can't help but feel a little ashamed of herself for mocking him earlier. Somehow, she had failed to notice how completely wrecked the kid really is.

"Sorry," she says quietly. Himuro looks at her almost suspiciously.

"Are you?"

"Yeah," Silver almost laughs. "Shouldn't have done that. You've got enough problems without me bugging you."

Himuro makes a noise of what Silver thinks is agreement. Hard to tell with this kid. She doesn't think she's ever seen him actually emote.

"So what _did_ happen to you?" she finally asks, after a few minutes of silence.

The boy sighs heavily.

"What does it look like?"

"Well it _looks_ like that dragon of yours decided to use you as a chew toy, but I doubt that's what actually happened."

Himuro lets out the closest thing to a laugh she's ever heard from him.

"You're close. Kanopus no, dragons yes. And humans. Apparently I'm not terribly welcome in Ri-Kyuu, and they thought I should be aware of that."

"Humans?" Silver asks sharply. "Who were they?"

"Dragon busters, apparently. Three of them. They weren't too happy about me training in their hunting ground. Hit while Kanopus was off hunting for himself. He came back just in time to stop the last one from cutting my throat. I guess I'm lucky the bastard took his time."

Silver feels a pang of shame at the mention of dragon busters, but she shoves it away. She's not one of them anymore. But she remembers how vicious they are – how she used to be – and Himuro's injuries suddenly make a lot more sense. They beat him halfway to hell before that dragon showed up, and they would have kept going if he hadn't. The woman can't help but feel sorry for the young dragon master, but she doesn't say it. He doesn't want it.

"Want me to kill 'em for you?" she asks instead, with a rakish grin.

The injured boy almost smiles.

"Nah. I'll hunt down the last one myself when I've got the time. I got one, and Kanopus took care of another."

Silver's surprised how nonchalant he is about killing. He lived in a different world before, and she's pretty sure it was a lot less necessary over there; but Himuro's nothing like any outsider she's ever met, so it's not too much of a shock. And the bloodstained sword he walked into town with is evidence enough that Ri-Kyuu has changed him – or maybe it's just set him free.

When the pain gets too bad, Himuro gives up on being the tough guy and tries to sleep. Silver leaves him; there's no sense in watching the guy, and she needs to get outside and stretch her legs.

Honestly, she's not sure why she's not leaving altogether. Himuro's not about to kick the bucket anymore – and why exactly did he need her there in the first place? They barely know each other. The ex-dragon buster shakes her head and walks out the door.

**End Chapter**

Well, this will most likely be continued, but considering I have a Jyu-Oh-Sei multi-chapter in progress, this might take a back seat unless I get a serious jolt of inspiration. Still, I hope you enjoyed the first chapter of Shades of Gray, because my Hikaru muse certainly didn't XD

Hikaru: _Why_ do I get half-killed in all of your Dragon Drive fics?

Wilder: Because you're too much of a _dick_ when you're healthy :P

Silver: And what's with the pairing? Have we ever even spoken to each other?

Wilder: …shut up.

Review please! :)


	2. Chapter 2

I decided to write more of this, for some odd reason. Probably because I find HikaruxSilver sexy, and fanfics of it do not exist.

**Warning: **Odd pairing, possible OOCness

**Disclaimer:** Wilder does not own Dragon Drive, Hikaru, Silver, or any related properties.

**Chapter 2**

Himuro improves quickly, but it's still another two weeks or so before he can go anywhere fast. He keeps opening up one of the wounds in his chest, and his shoulder's still wrecked, but the time comes that his ribs knit and they can't keep him in bed anymore. He's restless and angry from being cooped up, and Silver almost expects that dragon of his to show up and rip off the roof.

One night, he shows up at her door.

"I'm leaving. Don't know why I'm telling you, but I'm not about to tell them." He's trying to sound strong, like the pain isn't there, but she hears it in his voice.

She doesn't know why the next words leave her mouth.

"I'm coming with you. You'll get yourself killed in your condition."

"You don't even have a dragon. You'll be in more danger than I am."

Silver flares.

"Last time I checked, I had a pair of blades and your dragon was enormous. I think he can carry two without much trouble, and I think you could use someone who can use both arms."

Himuro doesn't speak for a moment or so. Silver can see him mulling it over, weighing his odds. He's not stupid. He knows he may not survive on his own.

"Fine."

"You do realize that I wasn't _asking_, right?" Silver smirks. She thinks she sees the corner of Himuro's mouth quirk upward for about half a second as he rolls his eyes.

* * *

><p>Hikaru's surprised how easily Silver balances on Kanopus's head – it took him two weeks to master that – but considering her training, it doesn't shock him that she picks it up more quickly than he did. He was just a kid when he found Kanopus, after all.<p>

He's eighteen now – at least, he thinks he is. He hasn't been paying attention to the dates in Ri-kyuu. Asking Silver confirms that he'll be nineteen in another two months.

She watches him carefully. He tires quickly, and she can tell he's in more pain than he'll admit by the time they land for the night. Reluctantly, he lets her check his shoulder and the gash, which he's managed to open again. It's starting to scar, though, and Silver thinks it won't be long until it heals enough to stop bleeding, though she knows it will never disappear.

Himuro still tries to be tough, not to let the woman see how much pain her ministrations cause, but Silver's no fool. He's in agony, especially from his shoulder. Silver isn't sure it will ever heal completely enough to regain a full range of motion.

In another day or so, they reach dragon buster territory. Himuro's gaze hardens. Silver doesn't envy the man they're hunting.

They see a few dragon busters, but they're smart enough to stay away from their deadly former comrade and the dragon master beside her. Silver rolls her eyes when they hide.

Eventually, Himuro decides to take a more…_direct_ approach to searching.

"Where's your friend, huh?" he growls, holding a buster by his neck against a cliff face. "About my height, rides a green dragon about half the size of mine?"

"I don't know, I don't know!" the man says desperately. "I haven't seen him in weeks!"

"_Where_?" Himuro demands, his grip tightening, his other hand twitching toward his blade.

The trapped man panics.

"Northwest, about a day's flight from here," he chokes. "Probably less for you. It's a forked mountain with a cave near the top."

Himuro releases the man and lets him slide to the ground, gasping for breath. Silver quietly sheathes her twin blades and returns to Kanopus. The dragon lowers his head to allow her to board, and Hikaru gets another surprise. Kanopus has never trusted another human like this.

But it's getting dark again, and they have to land before they make it to the place their captive described.

* * *

><p>Silver can't sleep; this cave isn't well-protected unless she counts Kanopus, and after a decade as a dragon buster, she doesn't. He's strong, but an experienced buster could catch him off-guard, and then where would they be? She needs to keep watch.<p>

Before long, she notices Himuro watching her, his golden eyes sharp and cold.

"I know it's not ideal," he says.

"We should have kept moving until we found a better hiding spot. This is too open."

"Kanopus and I, we're stronger than you think we are."

"You're a wreck, and I'm not sure I trust you with my life just yet. Sleep, Himuro. You need it more than I do."

"We'll trade off," he says after a long pause. "Wake me in a few hours."

Silver agrees, but she doubts she'll actually do it. He really does need the rest more than she does. But as it turns out, he wakes up on his own in less than four hours, and she appreciates the sleep more than she expected to.

* * *

><p>The former dragon buster realizes that she's going to need a dragon of her own eventually. Despite Kanopus's size, there's only a very small area where passengers can actually ride without being thrown; and being this close to Himuro for the majority of the day is getting uncomfortable. So the day comes that they still don't have any leads, Himuro's positively fuming, and Silver leaps off of Kanopus's head onto a dragon that looks perfect. She's grey-blue all over except for a scarlet spike on her tail, and her mind is raw and untamed – for a moment, Silver considers letting the wild thing stay that way, but she's made her choice and she'll stick with it.<p>

Himuro let out a yell when she jumped, but now he simply watches as the new dragon bucks and weaves through the air, performing a slew of acrobatic maneuvers that he knows will serve Silver well once she and the dragon have bonded. Of course, she'll have to survive first, but he knows her well enough not to doubt that.

It takes well over four hours before the dragon's flight smooths out and her mind quiets enough for Silver to talk to her.

_You're strong, pretty girl_, Silver whispers. The dragon growls, not angry, but confused. _You want to come with me, don't you? I know I scared you. I'm sorry. You see that boy? I didn't want to ride with him anymore._

The dragon hesitates. This woman is strange. She's not like the hunters who came after her to sell her, or to kill her. This woman wants a partner, the kind of relationship that her mother had with her own rider.

_What's your name, beauty?_ Silver asks.

_Misaka, _the dragon speaks without thinking.

_It's a good name. So, Misaka. Are you coming with me?_

The bluish dragon doesn't speak for another few minutes, and Silver gives her time. She waited years before Kono would talk to her as an equal.

Finally,

_Yes._

Silver crows, and she sees Himuro twitch in surprise.

"This is Misaka!" she calls. "I guess I'm not riding with you anymore!"

Himuro lets out what might be a laugh, or maybe just a sigh. The point is, Silver's got herself a dragon.

* * *

><p>Misaka makes life much easier. She keeps testing Silver, making sure the woman really does know what she's doing, but she lets Silver have a break from Himuro when she needs it.<p>

Dear lord, does she need it.

He's not much for company – never was, she guesses – but now, he gets angrier with every hour that passes without meeting his enemy. Silver knows better than to suggest that they simply leave their next meeting up to chance, but she wishes he would realize that it's nearly impossible in these mountains to find someone who doesn't want to be found. The dragon buster might have thought Himuro dead, but he has to know by now that the man from another world is alive, and out for revenge. And no one in Ri-kyuu is stupid enough to fight Himuro alone.

They fly side by side, but they don't speak most of the time. Silver isn't surprised that Himuro's no chattier than he was three years ago.

And then they find him.

Himuro's features twist into something brutal with rage, and Kanopus dives faster than a dragon his size should be able to, landing hard with the buster's terrified dragon pinned beneath one of his great claws. The green creature screams and struggles; Kanopus tightens his grip and snarls, and the smaller dragon falls silent.

Silver can see the desperation in the dragon buster's eyes. He knows he's dead.

Himuro jumps lightly to the ground, barely betraying the pain it causes him. The trapped man doesn't notice, but Silver does.

The young man doesn't bother with the sword cinched at his hip. A knife is all he needs. The other begs, but it's over quickly. There's no demonstrative farewell, no one-liner, nothing but cold steel and hot blood. Himuro doesn't care about the dragon, so Kanopus lets it go, and it flees.

Silver's more impressed than intimidated, but the intimidation is there. He's vicious. He's merciless. She knows she could fight him off now, wounded like he is, but maybe not if he were fit. Himuro is stronger and fiercer than he was three years ago. But Silver is, too.

**End Chapter**

My Hikaru muse is scary sometimes. But I like him anyway.


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